South Church Memories

One of my favorite things to do when I return to Iowa is to go out to the South Church. The majority of the people that live in Soldier, now population of 207 (I think it was around 250 people when I was growing up there) are Lutherans. And the reason for that is because the only church in the tiny town of Soldier is a Lutheran church. But there's not only a church in the town, but also a beautiful old church in the country that is always referred to as the South Church.

The South Church sits on a hillside out in the country, surrounded by the cemetery. It's a wonderful place to visit with its beautiful stained glass windows, its bell tower with the old type rope to pull the bell, and best of all, the old pump organ. Just so you know, the above 2 pictures are very OLD pictures that I scanned in - didn't want you thinking my photography skills are on the downslide!

I used to play that organ - yes, one of my best friends, Sandy Olson, and I used to play the organ for church. Most of the year we played the organ in at the town church but during the summer, services were moved out to the South Church and we both learned how to play the pump organ. The keyboard was basically the same as the town organ but instead of pushing down certain keys to get the desired music effect, you pulled out knobs. But oh my, did your legs ever get a workout! For those of you that don't know what a pump organ is, you put both of your feet on a separate pedal and push up and down, alternately between each foot. If you didn't pump, the music didn't play! It was quite an ordeal to play that organ - luckily the songs were kept pretty short during the summer and I remember the hardest times were during communion when you played continually!

I even played for a couple of weddings out at the South Church - it was a popular spot for old-fashioned wedding ceremonies and you just couldn't beat the scenery - inside and out! I distinctly remember playing for one afternoon wedding as a dog came running down the aisle during the ceremony - his leash had come untied outside the church! And it was quite warm that day too - the bride fainted at the altar and the groom had to carry her back down the aisle as I was pumping away at the organ, playing "On Our Way Rejoicing".

Memorial Day Weekend was always a memorable time at the South Church - a special service was held and for many, many years, the ladies served a lunch down in the basement. Unfortunately it was always a struggle to bring dishes and such out from the town church - and it finally got to the point where they just couldn't do it anymore and they moved the luncheon back into the town church! But I'll always remember the menu: loose meats, potato salad, and PIE! Those Lutheran ladies could certainly whip out some mighty fine pies!

And a tradition that still continues to this day, is decorating graves on that weekend - the cemetery is always beautiful that time of the year and I always loved walking around the different headstones and reading the names. It's sad to think that so many of the congregation are now laid to rest at the South Church, including my grandparents, parents, and a host of friends!

Yes, I revisited the church last week and walked all around, admiring once again that old pump organ, the stained glass windows and the cemetery - some things never change - and I would be sad if they did!